Rest Is Not a Luxury: Changing the Culture of Motherhood in Kenya
Somewhere along the way, exhaustion became a badge of honor in motherhood.The more tired a mother is, the more society praises her sacrifice.The less sleep she gets, the more “dedicated” she is seen to be. And if her baby actually sleeps well? People look confused, suspicious, or even judgmental. As a sleep consultant working with families in Kenya, I have noticed a pattern that we rarely talk about openly: rest is often not prioritized in our homes, especially for mothers. Many Kenyan mothers are running households, raising children, building careers, managing businesses, supporting extended families, and carrying emotional responsibilities around the clock. Yet sleep is treated like a luxury instead of a basic human need. And culturally, we have normalized it. A mother who says she slept only three hours is often met with laughter and comments like, “Welcome to motherhood.” A baby without a routine is considered normal. A baby with a schedule is sometimes labeled “Westernized.”...